The financial challenges of alternative reproduction

There is hardly another life event as exciting as expanding a family. For same-sex couples in Connecticut, this might entail a number of options. Despite the increasing accessibility of various alternative reproductive plans, many couples still struggle to make ends meet. One reason for this challenge lies in the exorbitant costs that often come with these plans.

One 2016 U.S. News report brings the topic of fertility treatments and the steep costs that come with such procedures. Highlighting the case of two New Jersey lesbians attempting to conceive, the report recognizes the obstacles many same-sex couples face when making plans to have a child. Although traditional family dynamics have shifted and gay marriage has been legal for years, some have trouble receiving coverage for family planning from employers. Some state laws require that a couple demonstrates that they have tried to conceive naturally, but to no avail. Of course, this excludes same-sex couples, and many criticize the law for its discriminatory language. A great deal of patients go into debt as a result of the tedious steps of fertility treatment.

NerdWallet dovetails from the aforementioned discussion on the financial burden of these treatments, noting that the cost of alternative reproduction procedures may depend on many factors. For instance, one of the simplest and most common options for women involves artificial insemination. The most common of these procedures, intrauterine insemination, can cost up to $4,000 upon each cycle.

For male couples, surrogacy and in vitro fertilization are common routes. These procedures can each cost anywhere between $64,000 and $205,000, and include payments to the egg donor and surrogate, clinical costs and other expenses. Adoption is another typical -- but costly -- option. Although most health insurances do not offer coverage for reproductive procedures, NerdWallet shares that couples may look to their specific plans for further details. While there is much room for improvement when it comes to same-sex family planning, many are hopeful that improved laws surrounding alternative reproduction will make this exciting life chapter easier for families across the nation.

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